Korea Confederation of Trade Unions will return to the Economic, Social and Labor Committee on the 10th to discuss the extension of the retirement age (continued employment) and other matters. This is about four months after announcing its withdrawal following the emergency martial law situation on Dec. 3 last year.
The Korea Confederation of Trade Unions noted that it decided during the morning's Standing Executive Committee meeting to participate in future meetings of the Economic, Social and Labor Committee.
Accordingly, the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions will also participate in social dialogue regarding continued employment and other measures that were discussed in the previous Economic, Social and Labor Committee.
The Economic, Social and Labor Committee, a social dialogue organization, formed a Continued Employment Committee through an agreement among labor, management, and government in February last year. However, no proper discussions have taken place since the emergency martial law on Dec. 3. This is due to the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions, representing the labor sector, declaring its withdrawal the day after the emergency martial law.
However, although the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions expressed its intention to return today, it remains uncertain whether labor and management can reach an agreement on the form of continued employment.
Proposals for continued employment include extending or abolishing the current retirement age of 60 and re-employing individuals after retirement. Currently, the labor sector insists that the retirement age should be legally extended, while the management sector argues that re-employment after retirement is preferable.
Meanwhile, the Economic, Social and Labor Committee planned to finalize measures related to continued employment by the end of April, even if the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions continued to refrain from participating in social dialogue. The committee intended to organize and announce the contents discussed, focusing on public interest commissioners. However, with the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions expressing its intention to resume dialogue, some assessments suggest that the situation has become more complicated.